Sun Yat-Sen Mausoleum, Nanjing

Joint Venture Negotiations in China

Overall Context :

• In the early phase of the economic reforms in the People's Republic of China, foreign companies were only allowed to set-up Joint Ventures together with Chinese companies for operating local facilities in the Chinese market. At that time, it was possible to acquire a minority stake in a local JV only and all potential partner companies were fully-owned by the Chinese government.

Industry & Scope :

• Global protection and substation automation business of a large technology group.     

Role / Function :

• Corporate Development Roles at business unit and division level.

 Actions :

• Business and site reviews of various potential Chinese partners to assess the potential fit and viability of a JV.
• Extensive negotiations with partners and governmental authorities in China, as well as arranging visits of high-ranking governmental Chinese delegations in Switzerland.
  
• Supporting the JV of another business unit within the division.
  

Outcome :

• The conceptual JV approach was defined, the preferred partner identified and excellent personal relationships had been built to the various stakeholders [negotiations did not continue at this stage due to company-internal reasons].